Safety Tips When Microwaving Food

Introduction

Microwaves are often used as a quick way to cook, reheat or defrost foods. However, as with all other ways of heating food, it's important to remember that foodborne bacteria can only be killed by proper cooking.

Main Item

It is estimated that there are approximately 11 million cases of food-related illnesses in Canada every year. Many of these illnesses could be prevented by following proper food handling and preparation techniques. To minimize the risks of food-borne illness, here are some steps to follow when cooking food in microwaves.

Defrosting

• Make sure to cook foods immediately after defrosting. Never re-freeze the foods that you have defrosted in the microwave.
• Remove foods from non-microwave safe containers and wrappings, freezer cartons, and Styrofoam trays before defrosting and cooking. Only use containers or plastic wraps that are labeled as microwave safe.
• Food should never be left out at the danger zone (between 4^oC to 60^oC or 40^oF to 140^oF) for longer than two hours. Bacteria can grow rapidly in this temperature zone.

Cooking

• Make sure to defrost foods completely before cooking them in a microwave. Frozen and thawed portions in the same food can lead to uneven heating.
• Cut food up in small portions and evenly arrange the food to minimize overlapping.
• Make sure you use a microwave safe cover or microwave safe plastic wrap to cover the food.
• Follow any cooking instructions for your recipe or instructions on the food packaging and observe the standing times for the food.
• If you are cooking meat in the microwave, make sure to use a digital food thermometer to check the thickest part of the meat and each individual piece. Make sure to also wash your digital food thermometer with warm, soapy water after each temperature reading to avoid cross-contamination.
• Cooked foods are safe to eat when internal temperatures are:
  • all ground beef products should be cooked to 71^oC (160^oF).
  • food mixtures containing poultry, eggs, meat and fish should be cooked to 74^oC (165^oF).
  • leftovers should be heated to 74^oC (165^oF).
• Never cook whole poultry, including turkey, in the microwave.

Reheating Leftovers

• Make sure to reheat any leftovers until steaming hot. Use a digital food thermometer to check if the center of the food reaches 74^oC (165^oF).
• Only reheat smaller portion sizes that you may want. Avoid placing reheated leftovers back in the refrigerator.

Attribution/Source(s):
This peer reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its significant relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Health Canada, and published on 2010/08/12 (Edit Update: 2024/04/27), the content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, Health Canada can be contacted at canada.ca/en/health-canada.html. NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.